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USPTO Proposes Rule Changes for International Design Applications

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is seeking comments on it proposed rules for implementing the provisions of Title I of the Patent Law Treaties Implementation Act of 2012. The law is the implementing legislation for the 1999 Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs (“the Hague Agreement”). The […]

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Flawed Evidence Undercuts “Charbucks” Trademark Suit

In Starbucks Corp. v. Wolfe’s Borough Coffee, Inc., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a district court’s decision denying injunctive relief in Starbucks’ trademark case against Black Bear Micro Roastery over Black Bear’s use of “Charbucks” for coffee. Starbucks sued Black Bear in 2001, alleging, among other things, trademark dilution in […]

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New and Useful – January 23, 2013

· In Wax v. Amazon Techs., the Federal Circuit upheld the TTAB’s denial of registration of the mark AMAZON VENTURES. Applicant filed and intent-to-use application to register the mark for “investment management, raising venture capital for others, . . . and capital investment consultation.” Amazon Technologies, Inc.—online retailer and owner of several AMAZON.COM marks—opposed the […]

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Leahy-Smith America Invents Act Reforms Patent Law

The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act goes into effect beginning September 16, 2011. This Act represents the most comprehensive legislative change to patent law since the 1950s. Most significantly, it changes how priority is determined for an invention and expands and revises procedures for administratively challenging patents through the Patent Office instead of the court system. […]

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Claim and continuation rules dead: thousands of practitioners breathe easier

In a Federal Register notice today, the USPTO has officially withdrawn the claim and continuation rule changes from the Code of Federal Regulations. This is consistent with a press release from Thursday announcing the rules were no longer going to be pursued. The summary of the notice: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) […]

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Digital Britain: The UK Government’s vision for a 21st century digital economy

Last month, the UK Department for Culture, Media, and Sport released Digital Britain, a report regarding the future of communications infrastructure in the UK, how to deal with challenges of a digital economy (such as copyright infringement), and containing policy recommendations regarding how to move forward. Click below for our thoughts on the report and […]

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Federal Circuit to hear claim and continuation rule case en banc

In an order this afternoon, the Federal Circuit agreed to hear en banc Tafas v. Doll, the case challenging the USPTO's claim and continuation rules. Back in March, a panel of the court held, in a 2-1 decision, the limits on continuation applications were invalid, but the remainder of the rules were not invalid, at […]

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Patent Reform Act of 2009 back before Senate Judiciary Committee today to consider compromise

Today at 10:00 Eastern time the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold an executive business meeting to discuss the Patent Reform Act of 2009. The committee will consider some proposed amendments that represent a compromise on several key issues that have been points of contention over the course of the past several years when patent reform […]

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Continuation rules appeal decided; continuation limit invalid; RCE limit and ESD requirements valid

This morning the Federal Circuit released its opinion in Tafas v. Doll (formerly Tafas v. Dudas), the case addressing the validity of the USPTO's claim and continuation rules. The court holds all of the rules at issue are procedural rather than substantive, reversing the district court on this issue. In spite of this conclusion, the […]

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Patent reform back again for 2009

Yesterday Senators Patrick Leahy and Orrin Hatch (chairman and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee) and Representatives John Conyers and Lamar Smith (chairman and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee) introduced the Patent Reform Act of 2009. Click below for more detail of the newly-introduced legislation, as well as links to other coverage […]

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